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Deep Level Defects In Electron-Irradiated Aluminum Gallium Nitride Grown By Molecular Beam Epitaxy, Michael R. Hogsed

Theses and Dissertations

Aluminum gallium nitride (AlGaN)-based devices are attractive candidates for integration into future Air Force communication and sensor platforms, including those that must operate in harsh radiation environments. In this study, the electrical and optical properties of 1.0 MeV electron irradiated n-Al_xGa_1-xN are characterized for aluminum mole fraction x = 0.0 to 0.3 using deep level transient spectroscopy (DLTS), temperature-dependent Hall, and cathodoluminescence (CL) measurements. Following irradiation of the AlGaN, it is found that four different electron traps are created, having energy levels within 0.4 eV below the conduction band edge. Three of these traps correspond to …